Critical letter from East Brookfield selectman stuns Spencer board

Tuesday

Oct 29, 2013 at 6:00 AM

By Kim Ring, TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

SPENCER — Selectmen Monday night said they were thankful for a gracious letter from an elderly East Brookfield resident who credited them for their work on the school budget, but baffled by an email from the chairman of the East Brookfield Board of Selectmen, who chastised them for the same reason.

The email from Leo Fayard criticized Spencer selectmen and Town Administrator Adam Gaudette who, during a regional school district meeting on Saturday to vote on the budget for education, negotiated with school officials to reach a compromise that will save town services in Spencer.

Initially, voters were set to act on a request from the schools for $24,031,558. Spencer Selectman Gary Woodbury made an amendment to change the figure to $23,029,219, and after some talks among Mr. Gaudette, selectmen and school officials, the number was adjusted to $23,331,558, which passed. School committee members must now decide whether to use that number or face a state takeover of the district. They will meet Tuesday night.

Spencer officials said that with the higher budget figure, the town's services would have been drastically cut, while in East Brookfield, selectmen issued a statement indicating they would not be severely affected by funding the schools at the requested number.

Mr. Fayard, in his email, said, "I wish I had been aware that selectmen would be the ones offering the lowball (sic) budget number, and then 'negotiating' what they could afford."

He wrote that he wants Spencer selectmen to provide him with some "enlightenment" about what happened, and Mr. Berthiaume said at the board's Monday night meeting that he'd like the same courtesy from Mr. Fayard, who did not attend Saturday's meeting.

Spencer selectmen said East Brookfield board members complained that they weren't involved in the discussions at the regional meeting Saturday, but the only member of that board to attend was Joseph Fish, who did not join the talks, which took place at the front of the gymnasium in plain view.

"We thought we were doing the right thing," Spencer Selectman Gary Woodbury said. "Joe Fish said, 'I don't like what's going on.' But he didn't go to the microphone (to speak during the meeting Saturday)."

Spencer selectmen said they felt compelled to work toward a lower number, not only to save town services but because the voters had spoken against a higher number when they turned down overrides on several occasions in both towns.

"We listened to the people who elected us," Mr. Berthiaume said after the meeting Monday.

Mr. Gaudette said that East Brookfield officials can still pay the district more, if they choose, and added he would expect they'll do that after the recent comments. He said since they were comfortable paying more, he thought they would not have a problem paying less.

Spencer selectmen voted to invite their counterparts from East Brookfield to a meeting to try to iron out their differences. They'll also choose a representative to work on teacher negotiations when they meet jointly.

While the Spencer board was criticizing them, East Brookfield officials were complaining at their own meeting Monday night about being given second-class status at the districtwide meeting Saturday.

East Brookfield selectmen said Spencer officials huddled by themselves to negotiate the $23,331,558 compromise amount to offset an even lower figure of $23,029,219 amended by Mr. Woodbury.

"The Spencer Board of Selectmen has no business settling a school budget based on their (town's) needs," Mr. Fayard said Monday night. "And I don't think it should be negotiated in private." He said the huddled discussion was not heard by the public in attendance.

He also said the effort to cut about $700,000 from the school budget is not fair because the voters have no idea where the cuts will come from.

"If they say we're going to have to lay off 10 more teachers then I'm not in favor of it," Mr. Fayard said.

Andrew Lynch of the East Brookfield Finance Committee was at Monday's selectmen's meeting. He said voters should have had a chance to vote on the school committee's budget of just over $24 million, but "it was all set up ahead of time to amend it."

The school committee still has to approve the amended budget of $23,331,558.